54 BIG GAME SHOOTING 
shoulders were not exposed. He plunged at me instantly. I 
fortunately caught a projecting bough of the mimosa-tree 
under which I was standing, and, drawing my knees up to my 
chin, he passed below me. I have heard of people avoiding a 
charge by quickly stepping on one side, but the ground must 
have been in their favour, and they must have been very cool, 
and only resorted to this instinctively, I think, as a last re- 
source. A buffalo, it is true, drops his head very low, but only 
just before he closes, and he can strike desperately right and left 
from the straight line, so you ought to secure four or five feet 
side room. I have never been obliged to try this lateral move- 
ment, and fear I should have made a mess of it, though I know 
it is possible ; for I once travelled down the west coast of 
South America with a bull-fighting man and woman, and they 
explained to me how, when the ‘toro’ charged, they stepped 
aside and stuck the banderillos into his neck ; but they had 
no bush or smoke to contend with. I have often, however, 
had to dodge animals round a tree, and once escaped from a 
borili by catching a bough, as in this instance. 
On our first journey to Lake ’Ngami, when within a hundred 
miles, the oxen wearied, so we selected twelve of the freshest 
and started with my waggon only, and some of the men, leaving 
the rest to encamp themselves and await our return. During 
our absence the drivers had to supply the party with meat. 
One of them wounded a buffalo, which immediately charged. 
The man, dropping his musket, climbed a tree just in time. 
For four hours the buffalo watched that tree, walking round 
and lying down under it. How Piet got to “erra firma again 
I donot remember. Probably the animal grew tired of waiting, 
though they are generally very patient, and willing to bide 
their time for retaliation. The following short story illustrates 
the vengeful nature of the beast ; it is told, I think, in Moffat’s 
‘Missionary Travels,’ but I have not the book by me, and 
cannot vouch for the exact words: A native, sitting by 
the water at night, wounded a buffalo, but not mortally. 
It made for the shooter, who ran and lay down under a 
